Snitzel dominates three-year-old contests
Arrowfield Stud stallion Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) added two new stakes winners to his haul yesterday as three-year-old’s Bruckner (3 c ex Jestajingle by Lonhro) and In The Congo (3 c Via Africa by Var) saluted in their respective Group 3 races.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Bruckner got Snitzel’s afternoon off to a flyer when landing the H. D. F. McNeil Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) under John Allen with a performance that will earn him a shot of Group 1 glory this spring.
The colt made two starts as a juvenile last season, beginning with a third-placed effort at Canberra before running 14th in the Pago Pago Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
Returning after a spell, Bruckner got off the mark in maiden company earlier this month before impressively stepping up to Group 3 level with a head defeat of the fast-finishing Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Artorius (Flying Artie), who flew home from the back of the field on his first start since finishing sixth in the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) in March.
Heresy (Street Boss) battled hard up the inside rail to finish third, a neck behind the winner. General Beau (Brazen Beau), runner-up in the Vain Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) a fortnight prior, was well fancied for this contest but could only finish fifth.
“We were going towards the Ming Dynasty over 1400 (metres in Sydney) but I just thought the 1400 might have been a bridge too far at the moment,” said Maher, who is eyeing up the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Flemington on October 30 for Bruckner.
“So, we opted to bring him down here (Melbourne) and he actually galloped with Generation on the course proper here on Tuesday.
“I took a line through General Beau there. I thought he was right in the race, and he was going to get the right run on paper. Thankfully it all went to plan.”
Maher and Eustace teamed up with Aquis to purchase Bruckner for $725,000 at last year’s Inglis Premier Sale, where he was offered by Blue Gum Farm.
He is the first foal out of Jestajingle (Lonhro), who is a half-sister to 2017 Vain Stakes winner Jukebox (Snitzel).
Bred by Neville and Susan Duncan’s Oakland Park Stud, Blue Gum’s Phil Campbell described Bruckner, who has so far earned more than $146,000 in prize-money courtesy of his two wins in four starts, as “untapped’’.
“He was a bloody nice yearling, he sold accordingly and as I’ve said before, it’s just so important that they can come out and run,’’ Campbell said.
“He was a cracking colt and they’re very good breeders the Duncans, they’ve bred a number of good horses and they’ve got four lovely yearlings coming to us for Premier 2022 that we’re really looking forward to prepping up for them.’’
In The Congo defeats high-class San Domenico field
Twenty minutes later, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained In The Congo scored a brilliant front-running win in a star-studded edition of the San Domenico Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Kembla Grange.
In a field featuring Slipper winner Stay Inside (Extreme Choice), Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) scorer Captivant (Capitalist) and dual stakes winner Paulele (Dawn Approach), the Tim Clark-ridden In The Congo grabbed the rail early on and refused to relinquish the lead up the straight, defeating $1.95 favourite Paulele by a neck.
Captivant stayed on to grab third, half a length behind the winner, while Stay Inside could only finish fifth, beaten two and a quarter lengths, on his first start since landing the juvenile feature in March.
Snitzel is likely to be well represented in the Coolmore Stud Stakes, with connections of In The Congo also targeting the Group 1.
“I’ll have a chat with (managing owner) Henry Field and the connections and map out a plan,” Bott said.
“I’d like to keep him to the sprint distances. He’s just an out-and-out speed horse, I feel.
“He may stay up here for a race like the Roman Consul, with the Coolmore being the ultimate aim.”
In The Congo, who has won two of four starts and bagged connections over $168,000 in prize-money, was a $350,000 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale buy for Newgate Farm and China Horse Club, from the Newhaven Park draft.
He is the second foal out of South African-bred mare Via Africa (Var), a winner of three elite-level contests including back-to-back successes in the South African Fillies Sprint (Gr 1, 1200m).
Stay Inside, meanwhile, drifted to $3.30 in the betting before the off and Tommy Berry told stewards he may have struggled on the shifty track.
“He was a bit disappointing,” Berry said. “This track is a bit shifty, he hasn’t been on that sort of ground before so maybe he just didn’t enjoy that because on what he’s shown us at home and in his trials, I thought he’d give this race a real shake.”